Tobacco pipe



E. F. KIRSTEN July 1o, 1956 TOBACCO PIPE Filed D60. 8, 1952 JNVENTOR.

Eugene l? Kirsten United States Patent O TOBACCO PIPE k,Eugene F. Kirsten, Seattle, Wash.

Application December 8, 1952, Serial No. 324,776

2 Claims. (Cl. 13d- 184) This invention relates to tobacco pipes, and pertains more especially to that character of tobacco pipe in which products of combustion Vdrawn into the mouth of the smoker from a bowl in which the tobacco is contained are caused to pass through a metallic barrel so as, by transfer of heat to the metal of the barrel, to lower the temperature of the smoke and thereby provide a more enjoyable smoke Vand one which is largely free of coaltars. Coal-tars are .generally considered to be the most harmful of all the products of tobacco combustion. A pipe of this nature is illustrated and described in U. S. Pat, #2,200,236, issued May 7, 1940 to K. F. I. Kirsten. In such patented pipe the wall of the metallic barrel is quite thin and is externally finned so as to increase the radiation of heat. Both ends of the barrel are open and a plug-valve is fitted in the rear end opening and a mouthpiece is received in the front end opening. In the form in which the pipe was originally made both the plugvalve and the mouth-piece were given a taper fit within the related end of the barrel. Metal-barreled pipes having their front and rear end closures fitted in this matter have leaked in those instances where the user has failed to press the closures firmly into their seated positions. Some users, on the other hand, have exerted excessive force when pressing the .closure elements into the barrel with the result that the closure elements have become jammed in place. Also when the pipes have been smoked and laid aside for several days without cleaning the same, condensed tobacco tars present within the barrel of the pipe tend to thicken with the result that the closure element becomes quite resistant to turning, frequently freezing upon its seat. The use of pliers is then oftentimes necessary in order to free the closure element. This is time-consuming and is perforce annoying to the user, and unless care is exercised in the use of the pliers the gripped surface of the frozen plug-valve or the mouth-piece, as the case may be, is apt to be marred by the teeth of the pliers. Should a closure element develop a hard glaze of coal-tars between the closure element and its seat, there is always danger that a forceful turning of the one relative to the .other will, by scoring the machined surfaces, permanently damage the same.

The Aobject of the present invention is to provide ,an improved pipe of the character described which will overcome the objections recited, and which is otherwise so perfected as to assure a .cooler and more enjoyable smoke .to .the user.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 `is a longitudinal vertical sectional View illustrating a tobacco pipe constructed in accordance with the preferred teachings of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of the pipes two-part plug valve and ram-rod assembly.

Fig. 3 is an elevational view of the pipes mouth-piece; and

Fig. 4 is an elevational view of the ram-rod shown detached from the plug valve.

Referring to said drawing, the numeral 5 designates Patented July 1o., 195e ICC the barrel member of the pipe, such barrel member having .a through-bore 6 which is substantially of uniform diameter throughout its length excepting for the two ends, each of which is flared. The rear end, by which I mean the end in which the plug-valve is received, presents a cylindrical section of comparatively short length at the outer limit of the taper. This outer cylindrical section is denoted by 7 in the drawing and the flared section lying between this cylindrical section and the bore proper 6 is denoted by `8. 9 and 10 designate the plug-valve and the mouth-piece, respectively, both of which will be hereinafter particularly described. The tobacco-receiving bowl for the pipe is denoted by 11, such bowl fitting over a neck projection 12 of the barrel and being removably secured in place by a headed hollow screw 13 working in an internally threaded smoke passage provided within the neck, this smoke passage connecting by a wall port 15 with the interior or condensation chamber of the barrel. This port lies somewhat to the rear of the inner or rearmost limit of the front flare. The heat-radiating barrel of the pipe, the bowl-fastening screw 13, and the plugvalve 9 are each composed of a material high in heat conductivity, preferably Duralumin.

Reverting now to the plug valve, the same is made much lin the nature of a thimble with an internal bore ,17, and presents a knurled headpart and a body part. This body is separated from the head by an abrupt shoulder 18, and ,there is presented by the body immediately to the front of this shoulder a cylindrical waist section 19 having a length approximately the same as, and a diam.- eter very slightly smaller than, the cylindrical outer section 7 of the barrels internal bore 6. To the front of said cylindrical waist section the tubular body tapers in.- wardly and thence extends forwardly as a reduced neck 20. The inner or lead edge 21 of the body is cut on the bias. With the body fully inserted within the bore, and which is to say with the shoulder 18 bearing against the end face of the barrel, the forward limit of this bias-cut edge projects beyond the wall port 15 while the rear limit of such edge is positioned short of the wall port. The consequence is that turning movement of the plugvalve causes the valve to perform the work which its name implies, and namely the function of a closure bringing the port 15 into and out of communication, selectively, with the interior or condensation chamber of the barrel. The diameter of the neck 20 is less than the diameter of the barrels main bore 6 but the clearance which is thus provided is, however, so minor that the port 15 is effectively isolated from the interior of the barrel when the plug-valve occupies the port-lapping position in which it is shown by dotted lines in Fig. l.

vThe plug-valves cylindrical Waist 19 is formed with ,a .circumferential groove 22 having a width, by preference, greater than the depth. A solid O-ring 23 of natural or synthetic rubber or rubber composition is seated in this groove. Neoprene is the material which l prefer to employ in that it assures ready compressibility with c omparatively high elasticity, and is in addition impervious to chemical attack by coal-tars. Considered in its relaxed condition the O-ring which I prefer to use has a diameter somewhat greater than the depth but less than the width of the mating groove. Thus the O-ring becomes compressed when the valve is pushed into the barrel and, when so compressed, flattens somewhat. The comparatively large width of the groove accommodates this lateral spread of the O-ring, and in addition allows the O-ring to partake of a moderate rolling action as the valve is pushed into or pulled from the barrel of the pipe. An O-ring 24 much the same as the O-ring 23 is provided for the mouth-piece 10 of the pipe, and it is to be noted, as regards such mouth-piece, that the groove 26 in which the O-ring 24 is seated lies between a tapering waist portion 27 and a cylindrical rear portion 2S of the mouth-piece. The waist portion iits rather snugly within the ared mouth provided at the front end of the barrel. The cylindrical portion, like the neck of the plug-valve, has a diameter slightly smaller than the main bore of the barrel. Press-tted in the front end of the mouth-piece is a short tube 30 which projects forwardly into the condensation chamber of the barrel as an axial prolongation of the smoke passage 31. In axial alignment with such tube, and press-fitted, sweated, or otherwise firmly secured to a plunger 16 which is received for sliding movement within the bore 17 of the plugvalve, there is provided a ram-rod 32 which is by preference solid and composed of Duralumin or other suitable material high in heat conductivity. When the pipe is being smoked this ram-rod perforce complements the walls of the barrel as a means of picking up and dissipating heat from products of combustion drawn by the smoker into the condensation chamber of the barrel. The ram-rod extends axially through and beyond the plunger, and the exposed end 33 is arranged to pass through a central opening 34 in the end wall of the plugvalve and project slightly beyond the same. The plunger has a circumferential groove in its periphery and there is received in this groove an O-ring 35 like or similar to the O-ring 23. The purpose of this O-ring 35 is to wipe the wall of the bore 17 for cleaning the same. The signicance of having the end 33 of the ram-rod exposed to the atmosphere is that dissipation of heat is promoted and the smoke passing through the bore of the pipe is thus more effectively cooled than where reliance is placed solely upon the radiation barrel to transfer heat from the smoke to the surrounding atmosphere. The fact of having the end 33 of the ram-rod 32 project slightly beyond the plug-valve is furthermore advantageous in that it facilitates removal of the plunger 16 by pressing inwardly upon the exposed end. Atmospheric air is enabled to bleed past the end 33 into the bore 17 of the plug-valve to break the vacuum which would otherwise obtain.

The pipe as it is illustrated in Fig. 1 is in condition for smoking. A rotation of the plug-valve 180 from its full-line position to the position shown by dotted lines in said View perforce causes the extended lip of the plug-valves bias-cut edge to overlie the wall port from the interior of the barrel. In this position juices present within the barrel are precluded from leaking out of the said wall port and the pipe may consequently be safely stowed in the pocket of a user. When cleaning the pipe the user removes the mouth-piece and the plug-valve together with the rod 32, places a small wad of toilet tissue or the like in either end of the barrel, and then employs the plug-valve with its rod as a ram to force the tissue through the barrel;

Although l have here illustrated and particularly described the now-preferred embodiment of my tobacco pipe, it is my intention that no limitations be implied therefrom and that the hereto annexed claims be given an interpretation in the reading thereof fully commensurate with the broadest meaning which the language permits.

What I claim is:

1. In a tobacco pipe, in combination with a barrel member having a large-diameter through-bore functioning as a condensation chamber for the pipe; a bowl mounted on the barrel in smoke-feeding relation to said chamber; a detachable plug having a press t in the rear end of the bore to operate as a removable closure for said rear end of the bore; a mouth-piece having an axial smoke passage therein and removably tted in the front end of the bore, a tube of relatively short length xedly carried by the mouth-piece to prolong the smoke passage rearwardly somewhat beyond the rear limit of the mouth-piece, said plug having somewhat of a bell shape presenting an end wall and having a bore open to said condensation chamber of the barrel and having said end wall pierced to provide a centrally placed opening communicating with the atmosphere; a plunger having a slide tit in the bore of said plug; a rod disposed axially of the plunger and fixedly secured thereto, a long portion of the rod extending forwardly of the plunger and a short portion of the rod extending rearwardly from the plunger, said long portion being of sufficient length to project into proximate but spaced relation to the rear end of said tube, and said short extension being enabled to pass freely through the central opening which pierces the end wall of the plug and being of sufficient length to project rearwardly beyond said plug, said barrel member, plug, plunger and rod being each composed of a material high in heat conductivity.

2. In a tobacco pipe, in combination with a barrel member having large-diameter through-bore functioning as a condensation chamber for the pipe; a bowl mounted on the barrel in smoke-feeding relation to said chamber; a detachable plug having a press fit in the rear end of the bore to operate as a removable closure for said rear end of the bore; a mouth-piece having an axial smoke passage therein and removably fitted in the front end of the bore, said plug having somewhat of a bell shape presenting an end wall and a bore open to said condensation chamber of the barrel and having said end wall pierced to provide a centrally placed opening cornmunicating with the atmosphere; a plunger having a slide t in the bore of said plug; a rod disposed axially of the plunger and fixedly secured thereto, said rod having a long portion extending forwardly of the plunger and a short portion extending rearwardly from the plunger, said long portion being of suiiicient length as to project into proximate but spaced relation to the rear end of said mouth-piece and said short extension being adapted to pass freely through the central opening which pierces the end wall of the plug and being of suicient length to project rearwardly beyond said plug.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 370,195 Johnston Sept. 20, 1887 850,404 Shields Apr. 16, 1907 952,816 Klein Mar. 22, 1910 999,120 DeMeza Iuly 25, 1911 1,468,681 Uytenbogaart Sept. 25, 1923 1,564,500 Van De Voorde Dec. 8, 1925 2,106,774 Tarbox Feb. l, 1938 2,200,236 Kirsten May 7, 1940 2,200,237 Kirsten May 7, 1940 2,230,872 Turinsky Feb. 4, 1941 2,250,643 Mariani July 29, 1941 2,285,057 Russell June 2, 1942 2,565,797 Boehm Aug. 28, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 7,852 Great Britain 1891 330,218 France June 23, 1903 379,149 Great Britain Aug. 25, 1932 

